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Fashion: Christian Dior Spring 2013 Couture

My initial reaction to the Christian Dior Spring 2013 Couture collection was a resounding “meh.” Couture distinction is such a honor, it horrifies me when designers phone in vague draped gowns under this header. It’s couture, show some respect. Also the hair and makeup is hideous. All the lips are bright red and encrusted with crystals, which feels really out of step with the spring rebirth theme of the collection – though I would love it in a different context. The hair has everyone in a pixie cut, which looks nice, then it was all smashed down with grease, which looks disgusting. The saturated stockings with contrasting shoes look sweet though, and they go with the better looks in the collection. However, there are some really amazing looks in the collection, so per usual I took out my favorites, which you can see below.

The 8th look is lovely and just unusual enough to be interesting; it was the point in the collection where I started thinking that perhaps there would be some note-worthy pieces after all. You can view all the looks on the Style website if you want to see more than just my favorites.

To get why I like this one (Look 12) I suggest viewing the detail shot in the gallery below. The bustier and the inside of the jacket has a very intricate cherry blossom detail. It’s truly beautiful (and finally the collection feels like it has something couture to present). The skirt is junk though, it barely looks finished.

Skipping ahead to Look 36 (at this point it had become clear that the collection had merit), a stunning sheer black dress with and abundance of tiny flower details. The matching elbow-length gloves bring it home for me. Chartreuse and peach with black is also a color combination I would not expect to like, but it’s used beautifully here.

Look 37 is one of my top picks from this collection. It has the same thread as the previous look but it’s a gorgeous, wearable (which perhaps is a bad thing to say when discussing couture), cousin of its predecessor. The dark blue-black with black, cerulean, and beige is – again – beautiful and unexpected. The dress itself has a fabulous silhouette.

We’re really cooking when we get to Look 39, it’s a very unusual shape, which I imagine to be unflattering on just about everyone. This is a compliment. Couture should exist in the hybrid space between art and fashion, this piece being more about detail than “looking pretty” (or whatever people feel that fashion is about) is an important element. View gallery detail for more pretty and to see that the wee tiny model is being slightly smooshed into the dress.

Look 41 – a detail from which is at the top of this post – should have been the finale piece, but it wasn’t. Instead there were about a half-dozen yawn-worthy gowns that came after. C’est la vie. This is the finale piece for me. Stunning.

Below is a gallery of all my favorites (including a few I didn’t discuss) and detail shots that are worthy of note. On the whole I’m quite impressed by this collection, I was ready to write it off when I saw the first few offerings, but I’m glad I stuck around to see the whole thing.

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I’m Brigitte and this is the story of my mild ride. I’ve blogged all sorts of things through the years, and the site reflects it! Adventures in handmade, business ownership, papercraft, literary analysis, and toy blogging all show up here. Hey, I’m just eclectic.